[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22775-22776]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4546, BOB STUMP NATIONAL DEFENSE 
                 AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES H. MALONEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
4546, the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2003, which contains an important provision I offered for the expansion 
of Civil Support Teams nationwide.
  Civil Support Teams are National Guard units designed to provide 
support to civil authorities in response to Weapons of Mass Destruction 
(WMD) threats or attacks. The teams are expertly trained to provide a 
variety of services including coordination of rescue and recovery 
efforts, securing communications, and providing medical supplies. The 
teams are outfitted with the proper protective equipment for entering a 
contaminated site. These highly-skilled units, made up of 22 full-time 
National Guard members, are a critical part of the Department of 
Defense's (DODs) mix of local, state and federal resources for the 
Homeland Security plan.
  Yet, currently a number of states, including Connecticut, do not have 
a Civil Support Team. At present, there are only two teams assigned to 
the entire Tri-State/Southern New England area. Those two teams are 
located in

[[Page 22776]]

Natick, Massachusetts and Scotia, New York, which leaves Connecticut, 
Rhode Island, and New Jersey without teams.
  The National Defense Authorization for FY 2003 rectifies this by 
authorizing 23 additional teams, one for each state and territory in 
the United States. This initiative has been a concern of mine since 
well before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. On January 10, 
2000, I sent a letter to the Honorable Louis Caldera, Secretary of the 
Army, urging that a team be deployed in Connecticut. I followed up that 
letter with a series of actions in support of expanding Civil Support 
Teams nationwide. I worked with the Connecticut Air/Army National 
Guard, the National Guard Bureau and the National Guard Association of 
the United States to address this issue of homeland security. On 
October 4, 2001, I sent a letter to the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld, 
Secretary of the Department of Defense, to ask his support for 
establishing additional Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support 
Teams.
  The language in the bill before us is derived from legislation I 
introduced (H.R. 3154) on October 17, 2001, which attracted 49 
cosponsors. On November 14, 2001, in response to these efforts Ellen 
Embry, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Assistance to 
Civilian Authorities briefed a small number of fellow Democratic 
Committee members of the House Armed Services Committee. At that 
meeting I reiterated my view that there should be at least one WMD-CST 
in every state and U.S. territory. On February 6, 2002, I again raised 
this issue with Secretary Rumsfeld when he testified before the House 
Armed Services Committee.
  During the House Armed Services Committee's consideration of the FY 
2003 Defense Authorization measure (H.R. 4546), my colleague, 
Congressman Taylor of Mississippi, and I successfully offered the 
amendment, based on my legislation (H.R. 3154), to include the 
provision for the additional Civil Support Teams.
  Currently there are thirty-two Civil Support Teams across the 
country, authorized by Congress over the last three years. While 32 
teams was a good start, it doesn't go far enough. H.R. 4546 will 
increase (from 32 to 55) the total number of Weapons of Mass 
Destruction Civil Support Teams (CSTs)--including a team for 
Connecticut.
  My legislation (H.R. 3154) requires the Department of Defense to 
establish at least one team per state and territory. Federal emergency 
resources need to be properly and fully integrated with state and local 
emergency response operations. To do that, we need a team in each 
state. Establishing a team in every state ensures a quick response to a 
Weapons of Mass Destruction attack, and allows the Civil Support Teams 
to run practice scenarios with local and state authorities that would 
be involved in the event of a real attack. This will ensure high-
quality coordination among all those involved.
  A Connecticut-based Civil Support Team is vital to residents of 
Connecticut and the Northeast Corridor. The terrorist attacks of 
September 11th in New York City made this point clear, and necessitate 
addressing this regional national security concern as soon as possible. 
The Civil Support Team in New York helped assess the initial terrorist 
incident at the World Trade Center, and undertook chemical, biological 
and radiological sampling at Ground Zero. The team also provided a full 
range of communications support as well as air monitoring services. The 
attack in New York was a critical test for this Civil Support Team, and 
it proved to provide significant assistance to local and state 
authorities. Connecticut deserves to be equally well protected and 
prepared. I am delighted that my legislation to advance that goal has 
been incorporated in the National Defense Authorization for Fiscal Year 
2003.
  Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, and for the other strong national 
defense provisions authorized within, I strongly urge the House to vote 
in support of H.R. 4546, the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization 
for Fiscal Year 2003.

                          ____________________